Park Han-sol reports on Korea's financial regulators, along with fintech and insurance. She previously wrote about the art world, from biennales and exhibitions to fairs and auctions, with a focus on Seoul and the figures shaping the scene. Before joining The Korea Times, she spent a year at ABC News' Seoul bureau, contributing to coverage of major Asia-Pacific events.
After 104 years, Silla's crowns reunite in blaze of gold in Gyeongju
A Silla-era gold crown unearthed from Hwangnamdaechong is on display at Gyeongju National Museum as part of the landmark exhibition, "Silla Gold Crowns: Power and Prestige," Monday. Yonhap
By Park Han-sol
GYEONGJU, North Gyeongsang Province — Prepare to be dazzled as you step into the dimly lit gallery of the Gyeongju National Museum. At once, a tide of shimmering gold will wash over you.
For the first time in 104 years, all six gold crowns of the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C.E.-935 C.E.) reunite in a historic homecoming in Gyeongju, cradle of the ancient dynasty and birthplace of the regalia themselves.
Since their excavation from royal tombs over the 20th century, these 1,500-year-old relics have ended up scattered among museums across Korea. “Silla Gold Crowns: Power and Prestige” at the Gyeongju National Museum marks their first full gathering, staged to commemorate the city’s hosting of the APEC summit.
From left are archival photographs of the excavated gold crowns from Geumgwanchong, Geumnyeongchong and Seobongchong in Gyeongju. Courtesy of National Museum of Korea
From the crown of Geumgwanchong, the first to be revealed to the world in 1921, to those of Hwangnamdaechong, Seobongchong, Cheonmachong, Geumnyeongchong and Gyo-dong, each gleams beneath the light, regally suspended in time. Accompanying them are gold belts, earrings, bracelets and rings unearthed from the same royal graves.
Together, the 20 radiant artifacts — 14 of them state-designated treasures — bear witness to why Silla was once called the Golden Kingdom of Korea.
The exhibition’s greatest gift lies in the rare chance it offers: to stand before all six crowns at once and trace with one’s eyes their subtle variations in shape, ornament and proportion.
The Geumnyeongchong crown, left, and the Seobongchong crown / Korea Times photo by Park Han-sol
“Every Silla crown shared three defining traits: a headband, upright ornaments shaped like trees and antlers and a cascade of dangling pendants,” said curator Kim Dae-hwan during a Monday press preview. “Yet within that established tradition, each piece carries a bold touch of individuality that sets it apart from one another.”
Through the show’s arrangement, these differences emerge in quiet clarity.
The gold crown from Gyo-dong is believed to be the earliest of Silla’s known coronets, its relative simplicity suggesting it to be a prototype. Lacking the antler-shaped uprights and dangling pendants seen in later designs, it embodies the headdress’s most primal stage.
The crown of Seobongchong bears a feature found in none of the others: a dome-shaped inner cap topped with perched birds, celestial messengers that bridged heaven and earth.
The Geumnyeongchong crown, by contrast, is smaller and notably lacks the strings of curved jade beads that hang abundantly from the others. Its scale indicates it may have adorned a young prince whose life was cut short.
From Hwangnamdaechong emerged a queen's crown, distinguished by its extravagant pendants — not just one pair, but three. Courtesy of Gyeongju National Museum
From Hwangnamdaechong emerged a queen’s crown, distinguished by its extravagant pendants — not just one pair, but three. Its exuberance testifies to the stature of Silla’s royal women.
And then there is Cheonmachong, whose occupant was found clad in gold from head to toe: crown, earrings, chest ornaments, bracelets, rings and belts. Such lavish burial offerings reveal the ancient kingdom’s faith in the afterlife, where the brilliance of gold might illuminate the soul’s passage into the next world.
Golden jewels found in Cheonmachong, from crown and earrings to chest ornaments, bracelets, rings and belts / Korea Times photo by Park Han-sol
The exhibition also addresses popular questions raised about Silla’s golden jewel. Were they made of pure gold? Not exactly. Each crown was forged from a gold-silver alloy, as pure gold was too malleable to hold its form. As the headpieces grew larger and more elaborate over time, silver was blended in to strengthen their frames.
And why did these crowns, which defined Silla’s glory between the fifth and sixth centuries, vanish from its history afterward? The answer lies in the arrival of Buddhism in the middle of the sixth century. Gold gradually flowed to the making of royal and temple ornaments, and the crown’s symbolic power dimmed in a new Buddhist world of order.
“Silla Gold Crowns: Power and Prestige” opens to the public on Sunday and runs through Dec. 14.